When they first approved an Early Childhood millage, local voters were acknowledging the fact that parents of young children often need more or different support than what they can get from their extended family, friendship groups, or church. Prior to that millage, Leelanau families had been able to seek such help from an informal network of service providers, including churches and nonprofits. But the county itself offered only basic health services for families with young children, and the limited services available through the informal network were always facing an uncertain funding future.
With millage funding, the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Dept. was able to incorporate and ensure continuation of important but previously unsustainable early childhood programming offered by nonprofits; add new services and provide service coordination. The centerpiece of its support for local families with young children, regardless of income, is Parenting Communities, a program focused on ensuring that these children have rich and engaging experiences at a time when they are experiencing the most rapid brain development of their lives. Other millage-funded support services include developmental screenings and supports to address behavioral issues; newsletters and guides providing information about parenting, age-appropriate activities to do at home, and family and community events oriented for families with young children. Two stand-alone volunteer- driven early literacy programs, PoWeR! Book Bags and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Station Library, receive millage funding for their materials. (An overview of millage-funded services is available at https:// www.bldhd.org/parenting communities.)
Now that millage-funded programming has been fully implemented for three-and-a-half years, we are seeing the results. The health department contracted with Avenue ISR, an independent Traverse City research and strategy consultancy company, to assess the effectiveness of Parenting Communities programming. A summary of its report, which drew from extensive surveying of parents and other caregivers (e.g., grandparents), states: “Based on this analysis, it appears that despite the real challenges that many Leelanau County parents and caregivers continue to face, Parenting Communities is providing an essential role in supporting parents and families, enhancing parenting, connecting families to resources, and otherwise setting up young children (0-6) and their families to thrive.” It is noteworthy that parents express the belief that they have become better parents due to their involvement with Parenting Communities and that many report improved mental health status.
